Zulu Alpha (foaled February 8, 2013 in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse and the winner of the 2020
Pegasus World Cup Turf
The Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race, by invitation for four-year-olds and older over a distance of one and one-eighth miles on the turf track, held annually in late January or early February at Gulf ...
.
Career
Zulu Alpha's first race was on October 20, 2015, at
Gowran Park Racecourse
Gowran Park is a horse race course in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the Annely Estate near the village of Gowran.The first meeting was held in 1914. and the first ever racecourse commentary in Ireland took place here in 1952.
Gowra ...
in
County Kilkenny
County Kilkenny ( gle, Contae Chill Chainnigh) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the South-East Region. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. Kilkenny County Council is the local authority for the cou ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
where he came in second.
Returning to the United States, he picked up his first win on July 18, 2017, at
Indiana Grand Race Course
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th st ...
in
Shelbyville, Indiana
Shelbyville is a city in Addison Township, Shelby County, in the U.S. state of Indiana and is the county seat. The population was 20,067 as of the 2020 census.
History
In 1818, the land that would become Shelbyville was ceded to the Un ...
. He won again that month at the same track. His 2017 season ended with a third-place finish in the
Prairie Bayou Stakes
The Prairie Bayou Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in December at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky. It is a Listed race
Group races, also known as Pattern races, or Graded races in some jurisdictions, are the highes ...
.
His 2018 season saw him come in third place at the
Mervin H. Muniz Jr. Memorial Handicap on March 24.
He picked up some wins during the summer in allowance optimal claiming races and earned his biggest victory at that time in the
G3 Sycamore Stakes
The Sycamore Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds or older, over a distance of miles on the turf held annually in October at Keeneland Race Course, Lexington, Kentucky during the autumn meeting. The event c ...
on October 18.
His 2019 season was his breakthrough year. He started off the season with a win in the G3
W. L. McKnight Handicap
The W. L. McKnight Stakes is an American Grade 3 Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Inaugurated in 1973 at Calder Race Course it remained there through 2013 when the track closed. In 2017 a race ...
on January 26.
His next race on March 2, 2019, also ended in a victory when he won the G2
Mac Diarmida Stakes
The Mac Diarmida Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for horses four-years-old and older run over a distance of one-and-three-eighth miles (11 furlongs) on the turf, annually in February at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, F ...
.
He came in third place in the G2
Elkhorn Stakes
The Elkhorn Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for four-year-olds and older over a distance of miles on the turf held annually in early April at Keeneland Race Course, Lexington, Kentucky during the spring meeting. It currently ...
on April 20, 2019 and finished second in the G1
United Nations Stakes
The United Nations Stakes is a Graded stakes race, Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds and older run over a distance of one and three-eighth miles on the grass, turf held annually in July at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Ocean ...
. He then won his last race of the 2019 season, capturing the G3
Kentucky Cup Turf Stakes.
Zulu Alpha began his 2020 season with his biggest win to date by winning the January 25th, 2020 G1
Pegasus World Cup Turf
The Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race, by invitation for four-year-olds and older over a distance of one and one-eighth miles on the turf track, held annually in late January or early February at Gulf ...
.
In the
2020 World's Best Racehorse Rankings The 2020 World's Best Racehorse Rankings, sponsored by Longines was the 2020 edition of the World's Best Racehorse Rankings. It was an assessment of Thoroughbred racehorses issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities
The Long ...
, Zulu Alpha was rated on 118, making him the equal 80th best racehorse in the world.
Pedigree
References
{{reflist
2015 racehorse births
American racehorses
Racehorses bred in Kentucky
Racehorses trained in Ireland
Racehorses trained in the United States